Louisiana Officially Legalizes Medical Marijuana

Governor John Bel Edwards officially passed a medical marijuana bill on Thursday, May 19th. Thanks to this, for the first time, patients in Louisiana will have the ability to utilize medical marijuana.

Governor Edwards approved the bill during a meeting on the fourth floor of the Capitol in the presence of very important legislators who led the bill to becoming law. Also there was First Lady Donna Edwards, as well as the families of children with conditions they think can be treated with medical cannabis. One of the families was from Amite, where Edwards was born. They have a son that goes through seizures daily and would be able to access medical marijuana.

“This is one of those bills I believe will have a positive impact on the people that need it the most,” Edwards stated. “The state of Louisiana should not interpose itself between doctors and patients when the doctors believe they have a patient who will benefit from medical marijuana.”

Albeit Edwards’ signature signified a huge moment for distributing medical cannabis, it will not be long until specialists can recommend medical marijuana to patients and pharmacies could supply it. One source predicts that it will take about a year and a half, but if any other states taking up medical marijuana garner any proof, it could take much longer.

Even then, proponents have stated that the measure passed recently lets them know that one day, there is a chance that they will not need to make plans to move to Colorado, where medical marijuana is already legal.

“It simply is unacceptable to tell parents of kids that if they want to make them available to the kids the medicine recommended by their doctors to achieve some better quality of life — some reduction in pain — that they should have to move,” Edwards concluded.